Manchester City vs FC Barcelona
Competition: Champions League, 2014/2015 - Round of 16 (first leg)
Match date: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:45 GMT - 7:45 pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
Competition: Champions League, 2014/2015 - Round of 16 (first leg)
Match date: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:45 GMT - 7:45 pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
Man City team have been handed a chance at revenge in just their second-ever trip to the Champions League Round of 16.
In their first visit to the knockout round last season, they fell to
the Spanish giants 1:4 on aggregate with 2 critical errors from
Demichelis and Zabaleta, with the former dooming City’s chances at the
Etihad with a 54th-minute red card and penalty concession. Bad news
comes in the form of yet another suspension for the hosts, who will be
forced to play without their midfield lynchpin and former Barcelona man,
Yaya Toure. However, confidence will have been restored to the
Manchester camp over the past 3 weeks, as they thrashed Stoke City 4:1
and then dismantled Newcastle 5:0. Sergio Aguero bagged 3 of those total
9 goals and has begun to find his scoring form just in time as they
head into this critical clash with Barcelona. Still, they will likely be
forced into a more defensive approach here and hope that the likes of
Jesus Navas and Aguero can utilize their speed on counter-attacks.
Ultimately, a draw appears to be the best-case scenario here for the
English hosts.
FC Barcelona team saw their 11-match win streak snapped over
the weekend in a stunning 0:1 home loss to Malaga. The letdown in
concentration was perhaps expected a bit with their critical showdown
against Man City approaching, but their inability to find the back of
the net despite having over 70% of the possession is admittedly rather
worrying. However, Luis Suarez returns to England here with loads of
Premier League experience, and it’s not often that Messi is kept
quiet for back-to-back games. They can score goals in bunches and have
proven so with 25 goals over their last 6 competitive outings and 15
goals over their 6 UCL group stage matches. They defeated
the Citizens last season 4:1 on aggregate and are certainly the
favorites to qualify from this round. Their South American attack trio
is simply to strong and will be able to make the comeback if they do
indeed fall behind. Another victory at the Etihad could be on the cards
here, but a draw is the more-likely scenario in Manchester.
Probable lineups:
Manchester City: Hart – Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy – Silva, Fernando, Fernandinho, Nasri – Aguero, Dzeko.
FC Barcelona: Bravo – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Rakiti?, Busquets, Iniesta – Suarez, Messi, Neymar.
Probable lineups:
Manchester City: Hart – Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy – Silva, Fernando, Fernandinho, Nasri – Aguero, Dzeko.
FC Barcelona: Bravo – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Rakiti?, Busquets, Iniesta – Suarez, Messi, Neymar.
